![](\"https:\/\/resource.hanteonews.com\/content\/post\/2026\/07\/24\/95e398af-16c2-4858-9cc5-22f96fc764ad.jpeg\"\/)
Photo = JYP ENTERTAINMENT<\/p>\nPhoto = JYP ENTERTAINMENT<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
[Hanteo News = Reporter KANG SUYOUNG] DAY6\u2019s YOUNG K has returned with his most honest self.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
YOUNG K met with Hanteo News at JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul on the 22nd and talked about his 2nd full-length album ‘YOUNGEST.’<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
YOUNG K said, \u201cThe fact that a solo album is coming out after two years and 10 months means I do not know when I will be able to release one again,\u201d adding, \u201cI really thought there was no looking back, so I looked only forward and put everything on the line. That is why I packed it full with 15 tracks and released it as a big, hefty album.\u201d He said, \u201cI actually wanted to put in even more, but the company tried to dissuade me a lot and kept asking if I could reduce the number. But 15 tracks was what remained after cutting and cutting about 10 songs,\u201d adding, \u201cI persuaded them by saying that the number 15 is kind of pretty, and that is how we decided on 15 tracks.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The work period was four to five months after DAY6\u2019s comeback. YOUNG K said, \u201cI wrote all 15 tracks within that time, and I worked with a really tight schedule, cutting down on sleep, going to work on music after schedules, working during travel time, and continuing to write songs during waiting time.\u201d This period also overlapped with the group\u2019s tour schedule. He drew laughter by saying, \u201cThe airplane makes a surprisingly loud humming sound, so even if I sang a little, the person next to me did not seem to find it that noisy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The album title ‘YOUNGEST’ carries deep meaning. YOUNG K explained, \u201cThis time, I wanted to make an album that felt the most like YOUNG K and the most like Kang Younghyun.\u201d He continued, \u201cWhile preparing for the 10th anniversary with everything I had, after I felt that I had done my best for 10 years as DAY6, I realized that I had been somewhat turning away from Kang Younghyun,\u201d adding, \u201cIt started from the thought that I should get to know myself a little more.\u201d He also shared, \u201cI found that I could not really recognize what kind of person Kang Younghyun was, apart from YOUNG K,\u201d adding, \u201cI wanted to capture the process of finding Kang Younghyun in this album, so I included many more personal stories.\u201d Track 7, ‘Yonge St.,’ is the song that represents that. YOUNG K said, \u201cIt is the name of the road that crosses Toronto and is known as the longest street in the world, and through it, I tried to tell personal stories from my past life studying abroad, including memories of those free and innocent days and longing for a friend,\u201d introducing it by saying, \u201cFor group songs, it has to work no matter who becomes the speaker, so I tend to leave a lot of blank spaces, but this time, I included my own memories too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Regarding the title track ‘Shut The Door,’ he explained, \u201cIt is a song about feeling liberation and freedom inside an enclosed space when I close the door to my heart and go into my room,\u201d adding, \u201cIt is a song I wrote like a diary after bumping into things here and there, getting hurt, and coming back inside.\u201d The contrast between the upbeat melody and lyrics filled with complaints was intentional. YOUNG K said, \u201cRather than telling a strong story in an entirely strong way, I think balancing it with the opposite emotion makes it less burdensome for the listener,\u201d adding, \u201cA sad story with bright chords is a method we have also used a lot in DAY6\u2019s music.\u201d He continued, \u201cI once talked with Kim Shin-young noona, and she said comedy is the same, that laughter is complete when there is sadness,\u201d adding, \u201cWe also try to balance brightness and sadness together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The lyrics came from real experience. Regarding the lyric, \u201cMy friends are probably talking behind my back again,\u201d YOUNG K said, \u201cMy friends got caught talking behind my back,\u201d adding, \u201cI was really hurt, but after I wrote the lyrics, comforted myself, and played the song for them, they cried and said they were sorry.\u201d He continued, \u201cWe are on good terms again now.\u201d He also honestly shared his thoughts on being a celebrity. YOUNG K said, \u201cIt feels like a job that makes it easier for people to talk about you, so the album also expresses the exhaustion that comes from that,\u201d but calmly added, \u201cAs much as there are things I gain, there are things I lose, and as much as there are things I lose, there are also many things I gain, so I live receiving a lot of love too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
He also opened up about his struggle with wanting to separate YOUNG K and Kang Younghyun. YOUNG K said, \u201cI thought about it a lot over the past 10 years, and after spending the day as YOUNG K, when I was off, I wanted to live as Kang Younghyun, but it was very difficult,\u201d adding, \u201cUnlike the past, when there was a sense of mystique, these days it is an era where you have to reveal even your natural side, so I tried hard to turn Kang Younghyun himself into YOUNG K.\u201d He also shared, \u201cAs a person, I have continued to refine, polish, and shave myself down as I lived. Because of that, the honest emotions that had been boiling inside me can no longer quite hold out and are trying to slip out, so now I am at a stage where I am trying to embrace even that side.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
He also revealed the new side of himself he came to discover through this album. He said, \u201cI think Kang Younghyun is someone who really wants to be free, has surprisingly strong opinions, and gets lonely a lot,\u201d adding, \u201cOn the outside, he seems like someone who smiles as if nothing is wrong and laughs everything off, but even he himself did not know that he was actually crying a lot and getting hurt a lot.\u201d YOUNG K said, \u201cDuring the time I was working on the album, I tried to ask myself a lot, \u2018What state are you in right now?\u2019\u201d adding, \u201cI think I am now at a point where I am trying to acknowledge that Kang Younghyun is also the person who created YOUNG K, and YOUNG K is no different from Kang Younghyun. They are all one person.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
He also honestly opened up about the limits and growth he felt while taking part in the overall planning of the album. YOUNG K said, \u201cAfter being discharged from the military, my range of activities expanded, and I felt that being in the position of producing as a producer was the most enjoyable, so this time I wanted to get more involved,\u201d adding, \u201cFrom planning meetings with the music video director to the creative team, marketing team, and concert planning team, I worked together with everyone from the planning stage.\u201d As for his limitations, he drew laughter by saying, \u201cUsing the music video as an example, I realized that I do not have the vast knowledge to bring out references at any time, and on the marketing side as well, I realized that I do not fully understand how the world is currently moving, so I am diligently watching Reels.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
He also planned a short-form challenge himself for the first time. YOUNG K said, \u201cUntil now, my approach was to participate in every challenge that came in, but finally, I am doing my own challenge for the first time,\u201d adding, \u201cI have asked other singers to take part in a challenge with an official format.\u201d He also gave a hint about the dazzling lineup. He said, \u201cJung Seung Hwan, who was active in the Gong K project where singers perform while wearing masks, is also expected to participate, and Paul Kim hyung, who appeared in the most recent episode, is also expected to be there,\u201d teasing, \u201cThe lineup will be incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
He also revealed that he lost 10kg by eating one meal a day for his music video shoot. YOUNG K drew laughter by saying, \u201cThe CEO told me, \u2018The song was good, the music video came out well, and you dried out well,\u2019\u201d adding, \u201cWhen I filmed the music video, that was my prime time.\u201d He continued, \u201cI lost weight by eating only one serving for one meal a day,\u201d explaining, \u201cGetting through my schedules was my exercise.\u201d When asked whether his creative drive was maintained even while he was hungry, he said, \u201cI think I am relatively less sensitive when I have not slept or when I am hungry,\u201d adding, \u201cI think the body my parents gave me has pretty good stamina, so every time I talk to them on the phone, I tell them I am grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Preparations are also in full swing for his solo concert, ‘Young K Solo Tour .’ YOUNG K revealed that he had tried to include all 15 songs from the new album in the setlist, but ultimately decided not to, saying, \u201cI want to leave just a little bit of regret.\u201d He then raised anticipation by saying, \u201cThere must be a separate reason why I want to leave some regret.\u201d Regarding the concert, he said, \u201cFrom the timing of when one song begins after another, to how it would be more effective to connect things in between, I want to include musical devices,\u201d adding, \u201cI am preparing hard to make it a concert that people can enjoy together, rather than one where I simply present something.\u201d He also added, \u201cFor ‘Shut The Door’ at least, I hope everyone shouts it together.\u201d When asked about the difference from DAY6 performances, he answered, \u201cThere is a healthy sense of pressure that I have to carry everything alone, but on the other hand, both of my hands are free, so I, who had been tied to a stand microphone, can run around.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
He also confessed his love-hate relationship with music. YOUNG K said, \u201cWhen I was young, music was something I could enjoy, and I do not think I dreamed of becoming a singer,\u201d adding, \u201cI thought that the moment music became my work, the enjoyment could become a little lower.\u201d He continued, \u201cI also had a lot of doubt that compared to the true musicians around me and how much they loved music, I did not seem to love it to that extent. But as I worked hard to survive, it became more and more fun,\u201d adding, \u201cNow I have reached a point where I hope I can stand on stage, make music, and sing for as long as possible.\u201d He also shared, \u201cI think continuing to make music for a long time itself is very difficult,\u201d adding, \u201cI am truly relieved and grateful that I can make this my livelihood, and I am at a point where I just hope I can keep doing it more and more.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
YOUNG K\u2019s 2nd full-length album ‘YOUNGEST,’ which contains his most honest stories, will be released today at 6 PM. Attention is focused on what kind of resonance the music created by the two names, YOUNG K and Kang Younghyun, finally united as one, will leave.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
grace@hanteo.com<\/p>\n
\uad00\ub828 \uae30\uc0ac \ub370\uc774\uc2dd\uc2a4 \uc601\ucf00\uc774, \uc2e0\uace1 \uac00\uc0ac \uc2e4\ud654\uc600\ub2e4 “\uce5c\uad6c\ub4e4\uc774 \ub4b7\ub2f4\ud654 \ud588\ub2e4\uac00 \uac78\ub824” [HT\uc778\ud130\ubdf0 \u2461]<\/a><\/p>\n
\ub370\uc774\uc2dd\uc2a4 \uc601\ucf00\uc774 “15\uace1 \uaf49 \ucc44\uc6b4 \uc194\ub85c 2\uc9d1, \ubaa8\ub4e0 \uac83\uc744 \uac78\uc5c8\ub2e4” [HT\uc778\ud130\ubdf0 \u2460]<\/a><\/p>\n